knowlton



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. H. B. KNOW LTON.

RAILROAD SWITGH.

No. 527,338. Patented Oct. 9,1894.

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NITED STATES a PATENT OFFICE.

EPHRIAM H. B. KNOWLTON, OF WEST SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPH SOHWALBE, OF SAME PLACE.

RAI LROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 527,338, dated October 9, 1894. Application filed April 28, 1894. Serial No. 509,375. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

las and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad- Switches, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention is in the nature of an improved railroad switch, in which the switch is set by hand to side-track a train, and the train in passing automatically resets the switch to close, the main line again, so that the latter can never be left open by the neglect of the switchman.

It consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the parts of the device for accomplishing the above result, which I will now proceed to fully describe with reference to the drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of the switch, and

Fig. 2 a vertical transverse section taken through the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail through line 3-3 and Fig. eta similar section through line 44 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings AA A represent the rails of the main line, and B B B the rails of the side track. The outer main line rail A is a continuous stationary main line rail 1'. e. both its ends are permanently connected with the main line A The other outer rail B is a continuous stationary rail but one end connects with the main line A while the other end connects with the side track B The two inner switch rails A and B are connected together by transverse links 0, and

at one end are tapered to sharp tongues adapted to lie closely against the inside of the stationary rails A and B, and at their other ends are seated in pivotally moving chairs aand b, and connect respectively with one of the rails of the main track, and one of the rails of the side track. When the switch rail A is thrown against rail B as shown in dotted lines the movable switch rail B is drawn away from the main rail A, and in this position the main track is closed or continuous, but when the switch rail B is thrown against the main rail A the other movable switch rail A is taken away from rail B and the side track B B is connected to the main line. i

a vertically adjustable bar H.

To efiect the adjustment of the connected switch railsA' B an operating bar D Fig. 2 is jointed to one of the transverse links 0 near its middle and, extending under the rails, is jointed to the lower end of a vertical lever E which is fulcrumed between vertical standards F at or near its middle. This lever E is made of two bars connected at the top by a pin a which plays in a slot 12 of a weighted elbow lever G. This elbow lever is fulcrumedr att at the upper end of the slot in the vertical standards F, and the weight G at the outer end of the lever is heavy enough to operate the switch rails A B.

On the operating bar D is formed a notch or shoulder o and also an inclined projection d. When this bar is forced inwardly to the rails to throw B against, a detent bar e drops behind the shoulder and. holds the switch firmly to this position. To insure the engagement of the detent it is made in the form of a lever fulcrumed in supports f, and its outer end is arranged to be struck by the incline d on bar D and slightly lifted so as to positively throw its other end down into engagement with the shoulder. This bar D is forced inwardly by the act of lifting the weight G and as soon as the detent drops behind the shoulder a the incline moves slightly away from the detent and the latter engaging with the shoulder holds the weight G of the elbow lever in elevated position until it is automatically tripped to operate the switch rails.

Beside the rail B, and running some distance along the same (i. e. far enough to cause one set of whcels on a car to get on to it before the preceding set has passed off of it) is This bar is guided in slots 9 formed in brackets h, and is maintained on its edge in nearly a vertical plane with its upper edge close t) the head of the rail where it may be acted upon and depressed by the car wheel. This bar iskept in place by pins 10 at its ends which pass through transverse slots in the bar without interfering with its vertical movement. This bar is normally held up a little above the level of the top of the rail by one end of a rocking or tilting frame I, which isfulcrumed in bearings by means of trunnions 72?, and has its outer end weighted like a trip hammer.

The operation of this switch is as follows: To set the switch so as to side track a train, switch rail B is thrown closely against rail A, and A is thrown away from B as shown in Fig. 1, which makes the side track continuous with the main rails and opens the main line. This is effected by simply lifting the weight G, which deflects lever E, and throws bar D inwardly causing its shoulder a to be caught and retained behind the end of detent lever e which looks the weight G in its raised position. The adjustable bar is also lifted to its higher position by the weighted end of the tilting hammer frame I. Now when a train passes in the direction of the arrows from the main track on to the side track rails B, the car wheels depress bar H and hold it down and raise the hammer frame I still higher until the last car of the train has passed. When this occurs, the hammer frame I falls and, striking the other end of the detent lever e, throws its inner end up and off of the shoulder a on the bar D. The weight G of the operating lever, now being unsustained, drops, forcing the upper end of lever E inwardly and its lower end outwardly and drawing outwardly the bar D which drags the switch rails A B with it, and throws rail A against B, and takes B away from A, as shown in dotted lines, which renews the continuity of the main line rails A A It will thus be seen that when a train is switched off onto a siding, the passage of that train automatically restores the continuity of the main line, so, that the latter can never be left open by any neglect of the switchman. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination with the stationary rails A B, and the tapered and radially moving switch rails A B connected together as described; of the operating bar D with locking shoulder a, a weighted lever for moving the operating bar, a detent for locking the operating bar and weight, and a depressible bar and tilting frame arranged to be operated upon by the wheels of the train to trip or dislodgethe detent substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with the stationary rails A B, and the tapered and radially moving switch rails A B connected together as described; of the operating bar D with looking shoulder c, the leverE connected thereto at the bottom, the slotted and weighted lever G connected thereto at the top, the detent bar 6, the vertically adj ustable bar H arranged in guides beside the rail,--and the weighted and tilting frame I arranged to be acted upon by the bar H and in turn to release the detent substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination with the stationary rails, and the movable switch rails; of the operating bar D having shoulder c and incline d, the vertical lever E connected at its lower end to bar D, the slotted and weighted lever G connected to the upper end of the said lever, the detent lever e arranged to be acted upon by the incline d andto engagethe shoulder c, and the tilting trip frame I arranged to hold barH up and to release the detent substantially as shown and described.

EPHRIAM H. B. KNOWLTON. Witnesses:

H. J. Loon, ELMER GASKILL. 

